ZOONOTIC DISEASES

THE IMPORTANCE OF GLOVES DURING LAMBING SEASON &

Lambing season is well underway for most sheep producers and I am sure by now you have encountered your fair share of both triumphs and problems. Even if you haven’t started lambing yet then you know situations will arise that may seem out of your control due to previous experience. Lambing is always an exciting time on a sheep farm. You plan all through the summer about breeding decisions, new rams, AI sires, etc. and then you pray that those decisions will turn out in the form of live lambs at birth that grow well and stay healthy. If you are like me then sometimes you get so caught up in the day-to-day tasks of lambing that you forget some of the basic things everyone who works with animals should keep in mind. One such thing is the importance of wearing gloves when helping a ewe have her lambs. We’ve all been there right? The thought goes through our minds that the ewe won’t need a lot of help, and we don’t really have time to throw a glove on anyways. So we just go ahead and pull that lamb (or whatever species you might be working with) without gloves. It seems pretty harmless, but if this is a common practice then eventually you can run into zoonotic diseases (diseases that can affect animals as well as humans) that may not be evident until it is too late.

Dystocia (difficult birth) and abortions are going to happen at one time or another on your farm. If these things do not happen then that is great, but most producers will see these types of situations at some point while raising sheep. I speak in front of many producer groups here in Tennessee (both online and in- person), and a lot of their questions come from dystocia scenarios and aborted fetuses/ stillborns. What should I have done in this case? How can I prevent this from happening in the future? Regardless of the question I always give the same advice to start with and that is to wear gloves while assisting a ewe that is giving birth and handling aborted fetuses and stillborns (I like to use a palpation sleeve with a latex or nitrile glove over top of it for extra grip). I get mixed feedback on this advice that ranges from head shakes to all kinds of comments. Most folks agree with me and say that yes they absolutely always wear gloves, but some will say that they don’t have time or they don’t keep gloves in the barn for such occasions. Whatever the case may be here are a few very good reasons why you should always wear gloves during these situations: brucellosis, chlamydiosis, leptospirosis, campylobacteriosis, listeriosis, Q-fever, and toxoplasmosis. Why are these diseases important? They are important because they are zoonotic and you can become infected by handling animals that have these diseases. Most producers are aware that soremouth and ringworm are easily transmitted to humans from sheep and goats, but not everyone is as aware of the above-mentioned diseases, which can cause much more severe symptoms than just a rash on your skin. They can also be transmitted by contaminated towels, equipment, placental tissues, and infected bedding as well. So be careful when handling these items. It is very important not to eat or drink in these situations as some of these disease agents can become aerosolized and end up on that cookie or sandwich you just ate. Obviously that is not an ideal situation!

Below is a table detailing the diseases I mentioned above, how they are transmitted, and human symptoms of each one. It is important to note also that pregnant women should never assist with lambing, handle placental tissues, newborn lambs, aborted fetuses, contaminated towels etc. Many of these diseases can also cause abortions in humans so it is important to exercise caution just to be safe. This is not meant to be medical or veterinary advice, just some encouragement to use gloves while assisting ewes during lambing and when handling aborted fetuses and stillborns. Oftentimes when you realize you have been exposed to something it is too late to do anything about it.

Another good point is that you are also protecting the ewe by wearing gloves. All kinds of bacteria can be on our hands and arms and by wearing gloves we can maintain a cleaner environment and hopefully protect that ewe from things like metritis or uterine infection. Your veterinarian may prefer not to use gloves in some cases because they can feel things better without the added bulk of a palpation sleeve. It is important to remember they are trained specifically for situations like this and will typically perform a very thorough scrub of their hands and arms as if they were going into surgery before and after assisting with a birth.

Don’t let this article scare you away from helping a ewe. This just helps you as a sheep producer to be well informed about these situations that you may come into contact with and to be well prepared with gloves in your lambing kit. I hope that you don’t have to use this knowledge but you are prepared if you have to!